What else is known of Richard Colins life in Berlin during WWII?

I am a 2nd cousin to Richard Colin who was born in Dresden but married and lived throughout the war in Berlin. He was a well regarded artist who specialized in works on paper. His self portrait is included in the famous Feldberg Collection now housed at the Jewish Museum.

The collection of Siegbert Feldberg, a garment industry entrepreneur in the 20’s, was on exhibition here in Boston and in Toronto. He traded suits and jackets to artists for their self-portraits. Unfortunately there were space considerations and Colin’s picture did not arrive to be part of the exhibit.

Colin came to the U.S. sometime in the late ’50’s as I recall and created a large body of work here in the States. He and I became good friends while I was attending Columbia University as his studio was not far from campus. He was often a visitor to my parents home in NY and frequently gave gifts of his paintings to them. He died sometime in the late ’70’s or early ’80’s and my parents had a large body of his works that are now all archived at my home in the Boston area.

I am seeking historical information about his life in Berlin before and during the war. I would appreciate any data that there may be about this dynamic artist.


Ralph Wagner
Chiffre 207312